1. Poor defensive performance
The biggest takeaway from the four-game trip was the Lakers’ defense or lack thereof. Without Brandon Ingram, one of their top defenders, things were going to be tough. Take JaVale McGee out of the lineup and things became even tougher on that end of the court.
The Hornets were the only team to not make at least 41 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Lakers. Charlotte was also the only team to not making at least 48 percent of their shots overall.
Without Ingram on the perimeter, the Lakers were absolutely torched by some guards. James Harden scored 50, John Wall and Bradley Beal scored 40 and 25 respectively and D’Angelo Russell scored 22 with 13 assists.
Without McGee, the Lakers were vulnerable in the middle. Tyson Chandler did his job, but when he was on the sideline, the Lakers parted like the red sea. Without their other defensive anchor in McGee, Los Angeles opted to go with smaller lineups, which proved to be unsuccessful.
Replacing two of your better defenders in a lineup is never easy, especially when the drop off is so severe behind them. Getting Ingram and McGee back in the lineup should not only settle the defense but also settle the rotation and get players back into roles they are comfortable playing.